”Change has never happened this fast before… and it will never be this slow again.”

Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, perfectly sums up the challenge facing restauranteurs – and almost all other forms of business today.

One of the biggest difficulties facing today’s restaurant owner is how to build the restaurant for the future – and one that is easily able to adapt to the ever-changing technology landscape. How consumers adopt to new technologies is increasing at an ever-quicker rate; it took 30 years for electricity to reach 10% adoption, while tablet devices took 10 years reach the same level and in just 10 year’s smartphones achieved more than 40% adoption.

So, with significant changes in consumer preferences and their desire to shift to digital interactions, restaurants need to keep pace and have the ability to quickly change strategy and evolve their overall technology solution.

Consumer technology advances are most certainly behind the transformation of the restaurant and customers increasingly want to use their mobile devices to order, pay, personalise orders, order ahead and share their experiences online.

Not long ago, it would have been incomprehensible to order a burger from your mobile as you walk to the store and have it ready on your arrival. Similarly, who would think that a coupon or offer would just ‘show up’ on your mobile as you walk past a restaurant or a retail outlet. But now these technologies are available and consumers expect the brands they use to be offering them as soon as they hit the market.

According to a Deloitte study, 40% of restaurant consumers prefer to order online – and when they do their average spend increases by more than 15%. In addition, nearly half of consumers want to use their phone to pay when ordering a take away or using the drive thru.

Perhaps one of the most significant trends to affect the industry is the explosive growth of delivery as a service for restaurant guests. Marketplaces such as Grubhub, UberEats, and Deliveroo, are changing the landscape for both restaurants and their guests. These marketplaces can bring a restaurant brand to a larger audience of interested consumers. The presence of marketplaces helped to increase food delivery orders by 20% over the last two years and the value of this market to have risen 73% in a decade.

So, while these developments have revolutionised the opportunities for restaurants, they have also increased the complexity when it comes to making the technology behind it make it happen, seamlessly.

Mobility. Marketplaces. Consumer engagement. On-premise transformation. The restaurant ecosystem has changed significantly. That is why we at NCR don’t talk about the POS as the ‘point of sale’. Instead, the core foundation of restaurant technology is a world-class platform-of-sale. Restaurants need to act quickly to seamlessly extend their solution to engage guests wherever they are, however they choose.

The evolution in our POS architecture means that it’s designed to be a digital platform, enabling countless integrations with different software providers – all with a single objective of seamlessly connecting a guest to the restaurant. No longer does the industry expect to integrate applications to the POS in the restaurant. Instead, the objective is to simply connect APIs from one application to the other. Consequently, restaurants are not confined by the offering of one provider and can build the technology offer that meets the specific demands of their customer base through open APIs.

In this series of blog posts, we’ll explore the technologies that are set to disrupt the restaurant industry over the next few years and why leading with digital is the only way to keep up with customers’ demands.

Effective kitchen management is going to be an important focus for restaurant operators as we enter 2019, as online ordering and delivery continues to be an upward trend. According to a recent report by investment bank UBS, ‘Is the Kitchen Dead?’, cooking at home may well be a thing of the past by 2030 as – driven by busy millennials – meals that would traditionally have been cooked at home are instead being ordered from restaurants and delivered to the home.

UBS predicts delivery will increase a further 20 percent per year by 2030 – taking global online ordering sales from $35 billion to $365 billion. If the predictions come true, we are about to embark on a journey of industrialized meal production – where cooking skills will ultimately be lost to history and we prepare only the most basic of meals, with the rest brought in.

So – while such a seismic cultural shift would greatly benefit the profits of the restaurant industry – it has the potential to play havoc with the restaurant kitchen. Already, the rise of online ordering has had a massive impact on restaurants – with the rise of ‘dark kitchens’ for example, solely serving the orders that come through via delivery aggregators – as well as those through individual restaurant apps, websites or phones.

What’s more, customers are changing. Time is precious and everything needs to be faster. We want to order and receive food faster; we want payments taken as soon as we set down our knives and forks so we can get on to the next thing in our busy lives.

This is where the combination of POS and kitchen optimization technologies work in perfect harmony. Orders can be seamlessly channelled to kitchen to work station, making lighter work for restaurant staff. No longer are printed orders stuck on a board with a head chef and wait staff keeping the plates spinning to ensure no order is late, wrong or forgotten. Instead, this can all be communicated, monitored and delivered by the touch of a button and the view of a screen.

The key challenge for the kitchen is managing and staffing for the peaks that this omni-channel offer can bring. Traditionally a restaurant could handle X amount of orders at any time – as that is how many seats the restaurant had. Now, the number of orders it could potentially receive is infinite; being able to channel and deliver those timely and without compromising on service, quality or experience is crucial to retaining brand reputation and customer loyalty.

Technology is enabling restaurants to meet these challenges head on and deliver consistent customer experience, whether the kitchen is over or under capacity. Find out more about NCR kitchen optimization solutions here

Congratulations! You’re opening a restaurant. You’ve selected a nice mahogany bar, wood flooring to match, and chosen a name for your new venture.

Now it’s time to go to the bank and talk about financing. Your go-to banker is there and they’re ready to help you out. During your conversation the banker brings up what sounds like a great offer: a “FREE POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEM” Sounds great! Or does it…

New restauranteurs often make the mistake of taking their banks “FREE POS SYSTEM” because they are trying to save money. The inexpensive “FREE”POS SYSTEMS are never free & could potentially hold your business back.

Banks offer their credit card processing services to restaurant and retail customers. Making the FREE POS they offered you….NOT FREE! It’s tied to their credit card processor so you’ll end up paying more for a product that does the bare minimum.

These “FREE POS” systems almost never meet an owner’s expectations or needs. Yes, some businesses do benefit from a POS that performs the very basics. However, “FREE POS” can’t perform simple tasks like splitting items for checks, have limited reporting capabilities, and rarely have local customer service.

The “FREE POS” from your bank, unless you’re a small scale coffee shop, will have trouble meeting your business’ needs. Limited loyalty & gift card programs, along with programming difficulties, will waste time and money.

What are the best Point-Of-Sale solutions for a restaurant instead of your bank’s POS? Here’s our choice for businesses looking for an affordable POS choice with high capabilities: NCR Silver Pro

This president’s day…Be patriotic & dine with these AHS Client’s in their historic ambience!

McGillin’s Olde Ale House: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

McGillin’s was established in 1860 and is getting ready to celebrate 160 years of business. Whew! The famous Irish pub and Philadelphian favorite may have (or not have) had President Lincoln visit during a trip to Philadelphia. Vice President Joe Biden, writer Tennessee Williams, and plenty of others have had a pint or two at one of America’s most historic bars.

Valley Green Inn: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Built in 1850, the Valley Green Inn sits on land originally purchased from William Penn in the 1600’s. The historic restaurant is tucked away in the Wissahickon Valley Park and continues its legacy in the Philadelphia community. There are no recorded Presidential visits, but the Inn is a great spot to eat, especially for first dates.

Stage House Tavern: Scotch Plains, New Jersey

Stage House’s Scotch Plains location is quite possibly one of NJ’s oldest. The building was built in 1737 and rumored to have hosted George Washington during the Revolutionary era. Nearly three centuries later, the 2019 Stage House offers great American cuisine in a comfortable setting with exceptional service.

Cranbury Inn: Cranbury, New Jersey

Another Revolutionary fixture in Central Jersey sits right on Main Street in Cranbury. The Cranbury Inn was established in 1750 and has experienced George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Marquee de Lafayette, Mme. Chiang Kai-Shekh, Albert Einstein, the Dutch Royal family, and was even a part of the Underground Railroad. Now a banquet hall and restaurant, Cranbury Inn dishes out great food and a historic experience!

What do these historic fixtures have in common? ADVANCED HOSPITALITY SYSTEMS!

Valentine’s Day is here! Not cooking for that special someone?

Le Bernardin was named the world’s best restaurant in 2018 by Paris’ La Liste. Chef Eric Ripert’s culinary mecca has continually impressed the food world with five-star service and masterpiece dishes. Chef Eric’s direction and French cooking background makes Le Bernardin, simply, the best in New York. An intimate and personal setting will make your Valentine’s Day one to remember.

What’s Philly’s voted ‘Best New Restaurant of 2018’ offering this Valentine’s Day? Suraya specializes in Lebanese cuisine with a long list of drinks (try the Arak!), cocktails, and wines. A prix fixe three-course menu will be offered for any couples looking for a great experience. As they say at Suraya, yallah sahtein (come and enjoy your meal)!

Looking for a place that’s ‘shore’ to be good? McLoone’s Rum Runner in Sea Bright is your answer. The Rum Runner’s beautiful architecture and open concept right next to the ocean creates a charming environment for diners. Make a reservation for the Valentine’s lunch, a-la-cart, or prix fixe menu options.

The Pluckemin Inn has the sommelier’s dream Valentine’s dinner. Their prix fixe course dinner can be matched with one of their many, many wines. The chefs and service staff deliver phenomenal food with a wide wine selection. Check out their wine store at https://www.pluckywines.comif you’re looking for an exquisite gift.

Right in the heart of New Hope, PA, Marsha Brown’s has great food for Hunterdon and Bucks County residents. The creole inspired menu and high-quality steak will leave you and your date asking for more. Plus, the ambience of the upstairs dining room is hard to ignore. Marsha Brown’s is a great, intimate dining experience.

Want to learn more about our customer’s Point-Of-Sale Valentine?

Managing a kitchen line is crucial for restauranteurs. Every order sent to the kitchen includes items with different prep and cook times. Making sure that all items come out at the same time is important towards delivering your customers a quality dining experience.

Restaurant operators are always looking to utilize technology in order to make their business run better. Kitchen Display Systems have become a great tool to manage your operation. Replacing remote printers with Kitchen Display Systems lowers ticket times, improves communication, and eliminates waste.

Here are some of the Benefits of using a KDS……

Lower Ticket Times: Running a kitchen, at peak time with a speed rail full of printed tickets, all with different prep times is arguably the toughest job in a restaurant. The enhanced communicability of a kitchen display system eliminates the endless line of tickets. Working items, rather than working entire tickets have shown a 7-10% decrease in ticket times after installation.

Increasing Communication: Kitchen display systems, like Aloha Kitchen Video, use intuitive software that coordinates all items on a ticket to be finished and sent at the same time. Physically displaying a flow of tickets on a visible, accessible screen turns the kitchen into a more communicable work space. No more brushing through endless chits, printers constantly churning, or yelling from your chefs.

Eliminate Waste: Continuing to use printers and paper can lead to more kitchen mistakes and dishes sent back to the kitchen. Wasted items can lead to an increased annual food cost. Kitchen display systems can decrease mistakes and lower your overall food costs. One Aloha Kitchen Video user found that they saved 3% over a 12 month period. Eliminating waste also includes decreasing a business’ carbon footprint. The average restaurant emits 100,00 pounds of garbage a year. Cutting paper usage and food waste makes your business more eco-friendly!

More restaurants are opting for kitchen display systems because of how they positively change the kitchen. Organizing the flow of orders into your kitchen can bring down ticket times. Eliminating noise and visualizing ticket orders increases communicability. Ditching paper and ensuring less order errors makes a restaurant a leader in eliminating its waste. Overall, kitchen display systems like Aloha Kitchen Video will simplify your kitchen and decrease costs.

Restaurant owners are extremely versatile individuals. They have to play multiple roles from host to bartender chef, marketing director, personnel manager and recruiter. Sick employees, nosy investors, or a heavy lunch rush can completely alter an owner’s day-to-day activities.

Every restaurant needs employees that are eager to step up when needed. They depend on staff that are proud of their work ethic. That’s why it is important for restaurant owners to have good hiring and managing practices. The hospitality industry is extremely demanding, sometimes resulting in hiring and management taking a backseat.

Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some common mistakes restaurateurs make when hiring new staff. Recognizing how these errors impact your business can help you make the changes required to avoid the effects of poor recruitment methodologies.

1. Poorly Defined Positions

Business owners are aware when they need new staff on board. Sometimes they are unable to identify each position’s tasks. It is important to label a job’s specifics and objectives before publicly posting it. Whether you are hiring via recruitment platforms or via word of mouth, a detailed and accurate job description is incredibly important.

2. Don’t Glamorize the Job

While jobs in the restaurant industry can be quite rewarding, hardly any of them are glamorous. Your staff is more like to feel fulfilled when you are transparent about their position. For example, if there are specific physical requirements or extended work hours, it’s something you need to be honest about.

It is important to not mislead a candidate; furthermore, you have to discuss their doubts and how the job will lead to growth. A job is more rewarding when an employee feels that it will lead to professional growth.

3. Offering Below-Market Pay

Servers may depend on tips for their pay but restaurant employees are dependent on a salary. Offering an at or above market rate will bring in better candidates and a competitive hiring process.

Candidates will be less inclined to work for you if your offered pay scale falls below the market rate. A new hire may accept an offer but will be at risk to leave for an equal opportunity with better pay.

Other mistakes to avoid include:

Being proactive with internal promotions

Properly onboarding new hires

Appropriately delegating work

Offering flexible schedules to your employees

Focus on Employee Retention

Keep these mistakes in view and learn to avoid them. Appreciate your staff and show that you genuinely care for them. Increasing your engagement and checking in on your staff’s happiness will lead to a lower turnover rate. Higher retention rates also result in improved productivity levels and increased profitability.

Caring about your team helps you foster a staff who care about the customers, too. Running a restaurant business is not easy. It is equally important to avoid mistakes as it is to have smooth operations. A happier staff and low turnover can lead to increased profits and decreased costs.

The hospitality space is extremely dynamic. This fluid change can seem simultaneously refreshing and overwhelming. Restaurant design and style reflect how businesses plan to keep the ambience as unique as the new delicacies they dish out.

Conscientious restaurant owners want to ensure that the environment and features in their restaurants encourage guests to return. It’s not just about serving great food but assuring that all their wonderful dishes are served in equally marvelous settings.

This Year’s Trends

Let’s take a look at 2019’s most notable restaurant trends:

Eclectic Designs- The focus is on attracting customer attention with eclecticism more than subtlety. Restaurant interiors are now filled with bright and bold, eye catching colors. Along with plastered phrases and sayings, wall art and accent pieces are hung to engage with customers and impose the restaurant’s character.

Minimalism is In- In stark comparison with eclecticism, minimalism has also become prevalent. Minimalism surfaced in 2018 and has continued to grow. Scandinavian and Japanese Zen-like designs concepts are now in vogue. This small-scale theme is created to accompany the food being served to the restaurant’s targeted clientele.

The Social Media Effect- Not every restauranteur will revamp their business’ interior accoring to modern trends, but social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are continuing to affect restaurant aesthetics. Customers are more likely to share their experience more now than ever.

This is why restaurants are now becoming attuned to the impact that influencers have on their business. There is a huge difference between actually eating the food and experiencing the meal. Strategically placing the restaurant name, theme, and design is important towards affecting the customer’s experience.

Fast Casual Dining- Referred to as fine dining (?), this trend focuses on providing excellent food made with the fresh ingredients and produce. Modern day customers prefer well-prepared dishes over four-course meals. Fast Casual relies less on excessive staffing and more on offering quality food at competitive prices.

Restaurants have grown accustom to creating their environment and having the customer abide to its design. Today’s trends are more consumer-driven and restauranteurs are constantly trying to meet their customers’ expectations. Better technology is necessary to help businesses remain efficient, retain customers, and bring in new ones.

5 Latest Restaurant Trends

When it comes to the hospitality industry, establishments need to change their approach,
business tactics and continuously evolve, in order to attract a steady flow of clientele. This
is also why you will find there is a constant change in restaurant trends. Here we take a
look at 5 of the latest ones:

1. Takeout & Delivery (Ghost Restaurants)

Restaurants have to maintain a steady relationship with customers and also have to focus
on their preferences. Today, a large number of customers are choosing to order out or opt
for takeout rather than eat at a dine-in restaurant. Except for fine dining establishments, all
other levels of restaurants are transitioning very quickly to cater to this preference.
Restaurant owners have to incorporate drive-through, takeout, curb pick up and other
various means to meet customer demands. Delivery systems are now integrated into a
single POS system. NCR Aloha is ahead of the technological curve
when it comes to providing POS systems to restaurants across New Jersey, Delaware, and
Pennsylvania.

2. Recycling & Sustainability

Millennials are now a part of the modern market and are extremely environmentally
conscious. For example: the restaurants that help conserve energy or water & also re-use
food waste are rewarded for their commitment to recycling and sustainability. Re-using
and reducing food waste helps control raw material expenses. When you conserve energy
and water, it helps reduce your operating and utility costs. NCR Aloha POS Terminals have a
fanless design that runs cool and quiet, reducing the amount of heat generated and power consumed.

3. Catch Overflows with the Use of Technology

Restaurants tend to lose additional business when all their tables are full, and new
customers arrive. The best way to get these customers to come back is by using an efficient
POS system with text-based notifications. This will prove to be an effective way to catch
customers who would have otherwise left. By sending a text when a table is ready, rather
than causing a rush at the reception area, the customers will be on time which will help
keep the reception area clear.

4. Hosting Experimental Events

Today, customers want more than just food, they want to experience something new and
innovative. That is the reason why food halls grew by an astonishing 700% in 2017 alone.
This could mean dining at an unusual location or enjoying live music while they dine.
Customers are willing to pay a fixed premium for food plus experience.

5. Optimize Table Turnover

Studies indicate that when restaurants aim for a table turnover of below 40-minutes, it
potentially increases their overall revenue as well as tips earned. Data indicates that the
average meal costs tend to plateau within 30-40 minutes. Focusing on optimizing your
table turnover can increase your revenue significantly.
We offer efficient and reliable POS systems for restaurants of all shapes and sizes. We
encourage you to visit our site for more information about our offerings.

For any information about our point of sale computer systems exclusively for the
hospitality industry, feel free to contact Advanced Hospitality Systems at 800-950-04. You
can also contact us via this Online Form.

Global technology company to demonstrate how restaurants can bridge the gap between physical and digital channels to improve the dining experience

NCR announced today that its software solutions designed to improve restaurant operations across physical and digital channels, will be showcased at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago from May 19 – 22 in booth #6228. Attendees will have the opportunity to see how NCR’s restaurant solutions can manage their business by providing data to help move them from transactions to interactions that matter.

This year at NRA, NCR will take booth attendees on a “journey” that follows in the footsteps of a millennial as she orders food on-the-go. By taking attendees on this customer experience, we’ll help them reimagine consumer engagement in a landscape where physical and digital channels demonstrate a long-term business vision and strategy.

“The hospitality industry is undergoing a radical transformation where physical and digital connections are colliding. At the same time, the expectations of patrons are becoming increasingly diverse. To survive in this dynamic environment, restaurant and foodservice professionals must remove complexities and make the process of catering to the needs of their customers both in and outside of their establishments go more smoothly and securely,” said Don Zimmerman, General Manager of the Hospitality Solutions Group at NCR. “The user journey demonstrates our approach and commitment to simplify the technology solution for restaurants.”

Booth technologies and solutions range from quick-service and table service platform-of-sale (POS) systems to the latest digital signage used to engage consumers with omni-channel experiences, including consumer self-ordering solutions, back office solutions, and payment solutions.

“At NCR, we recognize the restaurant industry’s craving for imminent, flexible solutions that make their operations more efficient. Through our own transformation, we are at the forefront of the industry transformation, and we are keen to show our industry partners how by implementing the right technology that connects and simplifies their business processes, they can focus on their true passion of meeting the tastes and expectations of their guests,” said Zimmerman.

Sunday Tech Talk: 86-ing the Complexity of Modern Restaurants

In addition to NCR’s presence on the convention hall floor, NCR will host John Rosanova of Chicago-based Four Corners Tavern Group for a 30-minute Tech Talk entitled, “86-ing the Complexity of Modern Restaurants.” NCR’s Senior Director of Omni-Channel Solutions, Jon Lawrence will guide the discussion, touching on the opportunities and challenges facing today’s restauranteurs; best practices for implementing flexible best-of-breed technologies in an increasingly complex environment; and ways that restaurants can think differently to create memorable guest experiences while simplifying their back-end processes. The talk will take place at the Innovation Theatre in Booth #5575 in the North Hall on Sunday, May 20 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

NCR Technology in use at the Rational USA “Restaurant”

The NCR Aloha Mobile software running on NCR Orderman7 handheld devices will be in use at the Rational USA booth, #3441. Rational USA, a manufacturer of high-end cooking equipment will have a small restaurant in their 50’ x 50’ booth in the South Hall. The restaurant will have a café, offering a small menu with seating every 30 minutes for the duration of the show. Servers in the restaurant will be using NCR’s mobile POS devices to take orders at the table, routing them directly into the kitchen.

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYSE:NCR) is a leader in omni-channel solutions, turning everyday interactions with businesses into exceptional experiences. With its software, hardware, and portfolio of services, NCR enables nearly 700 million transactions daily across financial, retail, hospitality, travel, telecom and technology industries. NCR solutions run the everyday transactions that make your life easier. NCR is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with about 30,000 employees and does business in 180 countries. NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries. NCR encourages investors to visit its website which is updated regularly with financial and other important information about NCR.